Selkirk Rex (Breed 79)

The Selkirk Rex is the result of a dominant gene that causes each hair (guard, down and awn) to have a gentle curl or wave giving the coat a soft feel. This is a medium to large cobby cat with heavy boning that gives the cat surprising weight and an impression of power. Females may be less massive than males but not dainty in appearance. The coat occurs in both long and short haired versions. The curliness of the coat is variable due to age, gender, climate, time of year and hormones, particularly in the female. Kittens are curly at birth, may lose their coat, and begin to develop a curly coat again at about 8-10 months of age. The coat continues to develop until about 2 years of age, so kittens and young adults should be judged mainly on head and body type. The Selkirk Rex has an alert and active personality with a sweet and endearing disposition and should be in perfect physical condition.

Head – Round, broad and full-cheeked with round underlying bone structure. The head should be set on a short thick neck. Forehead rounded, with a slightly curved top of head. The muzzle is of medium width with well-padded whisker pads, giving a rectangular impression, and is clearly visible beyond the cheeks when viewed in profile. The whiskers are curly or broken.

Nose - should be short, broad and straight with a downward slant. In profile the nose can appear to have a convex curve. The nose break is neither too pronounced nor too shallow.

Chin - is firm and well developed. The bite must be level, the tip of the chin should line up with the tip of the nose in the same vertical plane. Ears – Medium sized, broad at the base and may be tufted at the tips, set well apart on the broad head. Should fit into (without distorting) the rounded contour of the head. Internal furnishings, if present, are curly. Eyes – Large, round and well-opened. Set wide apart with no tendency to Oriental shape nor squint. All eye colours allowed. Body – Cobby type with a level back and may have a slight rise to the heavy hindquarters. The muscular torso is more rectangular than square but not long. The body is equally broad across the shoulders and the rump, medium to large but not rangy. Legs and Paws – Legs are of medium length and substantially boned. Paws are round and firm. Tail – Thick, medium length, thicker at the base with a rounded tip. Coat – The coat is thick and dense, with no bare or sparsely covered areas on the body. The coat stands out from the body and should not appear flat or close-lying. It is a random, unstructured coat arranged in loose individual curls giving an overall soft and plush feel. Ideally the entire coat should show the effect of the rex gene, but the curliness may be most evident on the neck, belly and tail. Allowance may be made for less curl on kittens and younger adults, especially females. Selkirk Rex Longhair: The coat is semi long, the tail curls are plumy and stand out away from the tail. The ruff hairs are longer and frame the face.Selkirk Rex Shorthair: The coat length is fairly uniform over entire body. The ruff and tail fur being a similar length to the rest of the coat, with tail curls that are plush and lie compactly round the tail. Colours – Colour and pattern are irrelevant and carry no points therefore a cat should not be penalised if apparently wrongly registered.